Working in the travel industry, I have an opportunity and obligation to see the world. Though most of my travels last only a day or two at a time, I manage to swig an espresso (or three) and get on with the party. Follow me as I shamelessly devour the foods of the land, (over)indulge in the local beer and wine, and discover new cities with old friends.
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Monday, July 23, 2012

It was around sunset on a Monday evening in Kyoto. We went for a stroll through the quiet
streets in the Gion district. From what I hear, Gion is the most famous district for spotting
geisha in Kyoto. We hung around for some time, strolling back and forth through
the quiet streets with discreet teahouses on every corner. After observing
traffic for a while, I became aware that I was not the only American around. In
fact, I came to find that it’s the traditional looking wooden townhouses called
machiya that bring in a lot of
tourists. These homes are extensive behind a small, misleading façade. Built
narrow in the front, they extend back about 65 feet. This kind of architecture
dates so far back, it existed even before
the year 1000.

We spotted our first geisha. Two of them strolled down the
eerily quiet street. Their hair was in the traditional shimada style, brushed
back with a bun on top, their makeup was chalky white with red pursed lips, and
they wore colorful kimonos. I wondered where they were off to. Later, we
spotted a taxi with men in suits exiting, followed by a geisha. We did some
research, and found out that geisha
literally translates to artist. These
women entertain groups of men usually with a form of controlled
dance, musical instruments such as the shamisen that is similar to a banjo, and
some even perform poetry. The common misconception is that geisha are
prostitutes. Although light conversation and flirting is common between geisha
and their clients, nothing more is expected.

Another cool sighting to cross off my bucket list! See a real geisha live in person, CHECK!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

With only 24 hours in Japan, we decided a yakitori dinner
would be the perfect traditional meal to experiment with in Kyoto. We started
with a Kirin draft beer, and browsed the menu full of chicken bits on a stick. We
placed an order for just about the whole chicken except the head and feet. I am the least brave of the friends I am
with, but I am willing to try it all. I suddenly got flashbacks to my first
time in Tokyo 6 months ago, when I almost heaved after swallowing a whole piece
of raw squid at Sushi Dai. (Reference: One Bite, No Soy Sauce...)
I’m trying to be more adventurous, but for me it’s baby steps to achieving my
Andrew Zimmern-strength palate.

First, they presented to us an appetizer of pate and
crackers. It was rich and delicious. Then it began. Each tiny plate with two
skewers of chicken bits came out one by one to our table...

Pate and crackers.

Fried tofu with scallions. An easy start to the meal.

Skewered veggies
started to arrive. This one in particular had bonito flakes on top. The
dried, smoked fish flakes rapidly warped on top of the hot skewers,
appearing like it was alive.

No, this isn't a cherry tomato skewer. It's chicken ovaries!
Unsure of what texture to expect, I cut one open to find a think yellow
liquid oozing from inside. It tasted like the yolk of an egg, and sure
enough, once we googled it we found out that essentially it is a yolk.

BARF! See? It's not that creepy when you think about it...

Chicken cartilage of knee. The
white parts looked like fat, but they were crunchy cartilage.
Naturally, I wanted to reject the boney parts but I kept on crunching
like everyone else. It sounded like we were all chomping on ice cubes.
The flavor was good but I could never get used to the crunch!

Chicken gizzards! Apparently this organ in the digestive track is made of muscular walls that helps to digest the food. So I guess my gizzards
got to work on a piece of this chickens gizzards that night. On first
bite I noticed an unwanted texture, like when biting into a nerve in a
piece of meat. I enjoyed the flavor, but the texture will have to be an
acquired taste for me!

Chicken tail.
Eight little chicken butts were sacrificed for the sake of our yakitori
dinner. Each piece of meat being sourced from the tip of the tail with
just a bit of skin on the edges were skewered and served to us nice and
crispy.

Some of the more
conventional skewers for my culture-shocked palate. We had mushrooms,
mushrooms wrapped in bacon, zucchini, and ramen.

About Me

I am Jack Of All Travels, blogging about my travels around the world. I am pushing 30, looking for life experience, and hoping to do it all on a budget (I'm poor). All I really want is feedback from the locals to steer me in the right direction. If that direction happens to be towards a bowl of century old eggs (China), cow intestines (Italy), or kangaroo jerky (Australia), I will politely indulge in the local delicacy. Then, I will promptly wash it down with a pitcher of sangria, fishbowl of jungle juice, carafe of the house red, or whatever adult bev is in arms reach. Life, give me this experience, and in return I will blog about my fond travel memories in which you can judge me forever!